Water softener

ABSTRACT

A water softener having two equal sized ion exchangers programmed with a regenerating unit so that one ion exchanger is regenerating while the other ion exchanger provides soft water. The two ion exchangers being so dimensioned that the time for the maximum production of soft water of one ion exchanger corresponds exactly to the time which is required to regenerate the other ion exchanger. The outlet of the regenerating unit is connected to each ion exchanger to give impulses to a program control unit to control the cycling of the water softener.

United States Patent Holzer [54] WATER SOFTENER [72] lnventor: WalterHoller, Meersburg, Germany [7 3] Assignee: Holler Patent AG, Zug,Switzerland [22] Filed: Sept. 4, 1969 [21] App]. No.: 855,335

[ Feb. 1, 1972 3,366,241 l/1968 McMorris ..2l/96 3,482,697 12/1969Tremont et al. ....210/l40 X 3,509,998 /1970 Pellett et al. ..210/1 36 XFOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 289,112 4/1928 Great Britain ..2 102Primary Examiner-Frank A. Spear, .lr. Attorney-letters and Rickert [5 7]ABSTRACT Foreign Application Priority Data Sept. 5, 1968 Germany ..P 1792 469.5

. [52] US. Cl. ..2l0/98, 210/136,210l140, 210/264 [51] Int. Cl ..B0ld/12 [58] FieldoiSearch ..210/25,96,30,140,191,136, 210/264, 269, 142,134, 341, 108, 102, 98

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,154,484 10/ 1964 Stoner..210/264 X 3,164,550 l/1965 Lamkin ..210/264 X l I l 9 l 21 2 Claims, 1Drawing Figure B l l l I I I E l I 16) I l PNENTEU EB 7 19?? I NVENTOR=WALTR #0425 By WYLW Attorney WATER SOFTENER The invention covers a watersoftener with program-controlled ion exchanger and regeneratingequipment.

For many years water softeners have played an important role in waterpreparation. With the use of water softeners in domestic appliances,such as for instance, washing or dishwashing machines, ion exchangersare used, which are capable of supplying soft water. The output of suchion exchangers is by nature limited. As soon as the capacity of the ionexchanger is reached, the filtering compound inside the ion exchangercan be regenerated. During regeneration it is not possible, however, toproduce soft water. During the regeneration period the appliance, whichhas to be supplied with soft water, must consequently be at astandstill.

With many water softeners, the ion exchanger filtering compound isalways regenerated overnight. It is true that the water softener is thenalways available again with its full capacity during the day, but thismethod has the disadvantage that regeneration is always carried out evenwhen perhaps the output capacity of the ion exchanger has still not beenreached at all. The result is a higher consumption of regeneratingagent.

Another type of water softener proposed earlier has a device for thedetermining of the amount of soft water taken from the water softener.When the amount of soft water, which corresponds to the maximum outputof the ion exchanger is reached, then the water softener is switched offand regenerated. With this method regeneration always takes placeexactly at the time when the capacity of the ion exchanger is reachedbut as a result of the sudden switching off of the water softener delaysin production occur.

The production of a continuously operating water softener, which at thesame time only needs a minimum amount of regenerating agent, for smallappliances (for instance domestic ones) was hitherto faced with thedifficulty that such softening devices were too expensive and also toolarge.

The task of the invention is to create a water softener which avoids theabove-mentioned disadvantages of conventional or earlier proposeddevices. The water softener should need as little regenerating agent aspossible, and nevertheless be ready for use at any given time. It shouldbe possible for it to be made small enough for it to be used for smallappliances also, for instance, for domestic purposes.

In accordance with the invention this aim is achieved by providing twoequal sized ion exchangers, one delivers soft water while the otherregenerates, the ion exchangers are so dimensioned that the time takenfor the maximum possible production of soft water of one ion exchangercorresponds exactly to the time needed to regenerate the other ionexchanger.

The water softener in accordance with the invention has the advantagethat it is always ready for use, and that this readiness for use is notimpaired by inserted regenerating cycles. It is therefore possible totake water from the water softener continually. In addition to thisadvantage of the invention in comparison with conventional devices, itis possible to construct this water softener in a design suitable forsmall appliances because of its dimensioning and its simple design.

One development of the invention provides for the outlet of theregenerating agent tank to be constantly connected to both ionexchangers via lip valves.

In accordance with another feature of the invention, the delivered softwater is passed through a water gauge which transmits impulses to aprogram control unit which controls the water softener.

A further advantageous feature of the'invention provides for the watergauge for the determination of the amount of soft water delivered byeither ion exchangers to be connected to the two ion exchangers via twoinlets.

The invention is explained in a construction example with the aid of adrawing. In the drawing:

FIG. 1 shows a diagrammatic view of the entire device.

Compared with hitherto conventional water softeners which had only oneion exchanger, this water softener has two ion exchangers ll, 12 (FIG.1). The entire plant is controlled by means of a program control unit10, whose electrical connections to the individual valves or water gauge8 are not shown.

If now, for instance, soft water is to be taken from the ion exchanger12, then a valve 2 opens and passes hard water from a hard water supplypoint 27 via a pipe 13 to the ion exchanger at point A. This hard waterflows through the ion exchanger 12 in the direction A to B and leavesion exchanger 12 through a valve 6 opened by the program control unit10. The soft water thus obtained is conveyed via a pipe 20 to the watergauge 8, which in turn feeds the soft water to a soft water outlet 22.

During this taking of soft water from the ion exchanger 12, ionexchanger 11 is not in use. During this period its ion exchangercompound can be regenerated. For this purpose a valve 3 is opened,whereby fresh water is fed to a salt container 9 via a pipe 17. Thebrine produced in the salt container 9 leaves the salt container andenters the ion exchanger ll at point A via pipe 16. So that the brinecan flow into the ion exchanger 11, valve 5 fitted to this ion exchangeris opened, whereby the pressure, which is produced in the ion exchangeras a result of the brine flowing in, is withdrawn from the ion exchangorvia pipe 21. Valve 3 only remains open for a relatively short period oftime, indeed only long enough for the ion exchanger 11 to be completelyfilled with brine. Thereupon valves 3 and 5 are closed again and thebrine can now react with the ion exchanger compound and regenerate it.After regeneration has been completed, valves 1 and 5 are opened,whereby fresh water flows into the ion exchanger at point A, and lyeleaves it at point B via the opened valve 5 as well as pipe 21, flowinginto a rinsing water drain. Now the ion exchanger is ready to supplysoft water again.

During the entire regenerating process in ion exchanger ll, soft watercan be prepared in the other ion exchanger 12. The soft water deliveredby ion exchanger 12 and passing through water gauge 8 causes water gauge8 to give impulses continually to the program control unit. After acertain number of impulses, the program control unit switches the ionexchanger off as supplier of soft water. The program control unit 10 isso designed that it switches the ion exchanger 12 off at precisely thesame time as its capacity is exhausted. If the ion exchanger 12 isswitched off by the program control unit 10, then valves 1 and 4 areautomatically opened by the program control unit. As a result hard watercan flow into ion exchanger 11 at point A, and soft water exists at Bvia the opened valve 4. This soft water reaches soft water outlet 22 viapipe 19 and water gauge 8.

While soft water is being taken from ion exchanger 11, ion exchanger 12can, as described above, be regenerated.

In order to be able to construct the water softener as small aspossible, it should be borne in mind that each of the two ion exchangersrequires a certain regenerating time. If the time for the flowing in ofthe regenerating agent is disregarded, it may be assumed that the amountof the filtering compound in the ion exchanger does not effect theregenerating time. The two ion exchangers and their filtering compoundsshould be so dimensioned that the time taken for the production of softwater corresponds exactly to the regenerating time up to the exhaustionof the capacity of the filtering compound. This maximum charge of thefiltering compound results in the smallest possible size for the ionexchanger and is thus the best possible solution of the problem.

The following example with actual figures explains the above-mentionedsolution. For example, per minute l0 liters of water flows through anion exchanger. If the regenerating time of the other ion exchanger is 12minutes, then the one ion exchanger should be capable of supplyingexactly I20 liters of water until its capacity is exhausted.

When the ion exchanger 12 is supplying soft water and at the same timeion exchanger 11 has to be prepared for regeneration, valve 3 is opened,whereby water flows into the salt container 9 via pipe 17. The brineflowing out of the salt container 9 will now be flowing into these twoion exchangers at the same time via pipe 16, as well as a nozzle 25fitted to the ion exchanger 11 or via pipe 15 and a nozzle 26 fitted toion exchanger 12. The brine actually arrives in the one ion exchanger11, as valve is opened on this, and the pressure produced in the ionexchanger can be discharged through pipe 21. The brine, should, however,not get into the other ion exchanger 12, from which soft water is taken.This is achieved, because pipe in nozzle 26 discharges in a lip valve;as long as soft water is taken from ion exchanger 12, the pressure atthe lip valve caused by the fresh water flowing through, causes the lipvalve to remain closed, and as a result no brine can flow in. As pipe 16also discharges in a lip valve fitted at nozzle 25, the blocking actionof this lip valve also manifests itself here when soft water is takenfrom ion exchanger 11. It is obvious that with the aid of pressurereducer the pressure in the pipes is kept within such limits that thelip valves can also close securely.

I claim: I 1. An ion exchanger water-softening system havingprogram-controlled regeneration comprising:

first and second ion exchangers of substantially equal soft watersupplying capacities and substantially equal regeneration times, eachexchanger having a hard water inlet, a brine inlet, a soft water outletand a drain outlet, said soft water outlets and said drain outlets beingprovided with remotely controllable valves;

a program control unit for controlling said system and causingregeneration of one of said ion exchangers while the other said ionexchanger is supplying soft water;

a source of brine;

means for measuring the volume of soft water withdrawn from 'said systemand supplying signals to said program control unit indicative thereof;

a source of hard water responsive to said program control unit andcomprising a plurality of remotely controllable valves adapted to supplyhard water to said brine source and said hard water inlets, all saidaforementioned valves being responsive to said program control unit; and

means independent of the direct control of said program control unit andassociated with each said brine inlet for supplying brine to therespective exchanger when and only when the respective exchanger has itsdrain valve open and its hard water inlet valve closed.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein said signals comprise a sequence ofimpulses and wherein said program control unit comprises means forcounting said impulses, said program control unit effective upon receiptof a predetermined number of impulses to cause the most recentlyregenerated ion exchanger to begin supplying soft water and to cause theion exchanger which had been most recently supplying soft water to beregenerated.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein said signals comprise a sequence ofimpulses and wherein said program control unit comprises means forcounting said impulses, said program control unit effective upon receiptof a predetermined number of impulses to cause the most recentlyregenerated ion exchanger to begin supplying soft water and to cause theion exchanger which had been most recently supplying soft water to beregenerated.